The Memphis appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1886-1890, 1887-04-03
THE INTERSTATE COMMERCE.
COMMISSION
Begins Active Work bJ Hearing
the Cases OF the Louisville
ana Nashville Road
AND THE SOUTHERN RAILWAY
AND STEAMSHIP
Assoclatien-The Appropriation for
the Expense OF the Commits
sion Only 100000.

n. II. SpauldlnS anu .. L. w ooubJHi
committee appointed by the Atlanta
Chamber of Commerce to 'eo.opsrsts
with the Southern Railway and Steam
ship Association in seeking auch lib.
eral Interpretation or mod fication OF
the operation Of thu interstate com
merce act as may be deemed necessary
for the protection cf the manufacture
ing and commercial interests of this
and ether Sluthein societies." were
granted a hearing. Gov. Bullock,
speaking for bis ga5ocfa 90 and him
self, thanked the commission for the
opportunity afforded, and read the
following paper:
To the Honorable, the Interstate Commerce
Commission:
GENrLEMEN-We, the undersigned,
committee appointed by the Atlanta
Chamber OF Commerce for That pnr-
pose respectfully r, prsseut to your hon.
orable body that the territory covered
by theSoutt ern Raj wayand steamship
Association is epsrGeiy populated and
the trade centeYs oT dlsiributive cities
within Lat territory are widely sepa-
rated snd, therefore, that rule which
would apply to lines IN more populCus
SIC ions Of GOuutrY would be discs
trous to us. The ret2s Of freight now
in force by said association, which is
the territory south Of the Potom &C
and Ono anQ east OF he Mississippi
riyaIe, er5 the result OF ten years OF
experiment, modified by the orders OF
Railroad OOmmissl 1neTs Ct the saverai
States, and by appeals from CONNER
cial bodies like oar own, reoresentiug
the Interests Of shippers. Your peli-
TONERS fuIther repre- sent that the rates
now of force az embodied in the tariff
Of the Southern R&ilWsy and Steam
ship Association are acceptable TO
our shippers generally, and under
them trace hss oeen eatabl shed, con-
tracts for purchase and sale OF com.
modities have bean entered into, and
sudden change would prove seriously
imtiul 10 ra'tes in inteIe6t. We are
informed ~ the railway management
that under re ftar OF penalties pro-
vdad by he Interstate commerce law
their roads will be compelled to largely
increase their rates on the 5th instant.
1his will destroy the whole system OF
TRtes upon which our Southern manu-
featuring industries have been founded
and disOrgsni2e aad pala'yzs the trade
centers upon and through which
Wholesale dealers have es' ablished
their extended business. We there
fore respectfully petition your honor-
able body to pa:s al otder on or before
the 9th day Of April, instant, TO the
effect that the schedule of rates in the
territory south Of the Potomac
and Ohio end east OF the
Mississippi rivers, so far as
these rates relate to Interstate
commerce be declered of force until
further order OF your honorable Com
mission, and tia, reasonable time will
be given Tor fuhher hearing and re-
vision before sny changes ere put in
force. awe submit herewith eehed-
ule Of rates OF the Southern Railway
aud s eamship Association to which
ne have referred. We also invite
ycur attention to the accompanying
comparative statement which We have
pleparsd Of the present rates, by which
is shown The crest increase which will
occur in rates to the principal points
if the railways put in force the. rates
they now understand the new law will
feQu II"
The showing made by the compGr-
tive sta ement sabmitied may be
Judged by the fact tdSt The rates from
New York 10 Atlantis, Montgomery,
Selma, Rome, Dalton aod ChstJan oogs
wild be Increased hon LA TO L4l, TO
Macon from 60 10 80, TO Augusta
from .06 10 "a, from Cincinnati to At
lsDta from l07 10 L16, 10 Mac,n and
Augusta from le7 ia / 46
The chairman Of tre commission
tf.tlsr IL Il Nlrvftg q 10
lively that ne unce Tatoa1 the appic5-
ton /, to be in part least III supp I'll
of the application which Lal
been made by the railroad companies
FIR perniss,on 10 charge lees for long
than for short haas. Gov. BuilCck
responded silirmaiivsly.
All present, queIieu h irnan,
ths railr ads are charG ng los tJz :
logger than Tor a shorter distance.
Gov. Bull5ck SAID this was h. cas-
where IL was necessary To meet The
circumstances cf water trsnsp ration.
Toe chairman sfksd tbs opinion OF
th9 COMMITTEES wi h resp CT TO me An
thority If the CJmmis ion to make
the order aske II hem.
Gov. Bullock replied III t ~ they
read TIE pTovaioos Of ID fodtth srG
ton they uIde stood the COmmis ion
had the sutnolty.
The railroads, ne added, lad inform.
ed them that un ees they made the :
rates at once they would oe liable 10
penalties under the law. Contracts
had been made by merchants for do.
livery three months hence, based up III
the rates which prevailed At the time,
Now, to suddenly Iaibe these rates
would prove disastrous. A brief col
lcouy during which, in reply to in.
aairies by Col. Walker ana Mr., Nor.
tisou, tins position Of the committee
Ia respect to some details was elab
grated, ended the hearing. The whole
procpedirg vas IA informslity, the
hes,i 40 being granted stt1is time az q
favor to gentlemen who had come
from distance TO present Their case
No formal consideration Of this ques'
ton or any other viii be undertasen
btfore the 9Th iDetant, Oh which date
the law goes into elect.
At 3 o'clock this afternoon hearing
WIS piyen to representatives OF the
Southern Railway aud Steamship As
ISOLATION. They we've fifteen or twsnty
in number. milton II. Smith, vice
president of the Louisville and Nash
Vile railroad, was selected SO the
spokesman OF the delegation, and ad
dressed the Commission. He raid
they were present to apply for author
ity 80 charge less for the tlansporta
ton Of property between competitive
points by the lines OF the members Of
the Association than between inter
mediate points. He said that the
Association was only one OF seyera
which had come into existence
through TIE rapid Developments, o.
tae transportation system durlug tnf
last twenty years. Az first LITTLE ehoi'
was made by the railroad lines for co
operation. sbippars were in the habi
Of shipping to forwarding nous 2
" hsn Their shinmenta passed beyo1l
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